Safe Harbor
by Skipper Pompeii
Summary: A storm is a powerful thing. What does Bella and Edward do when one rolls in a day they're in Port Angeles? WINNER of the Summer Lovin' contest on Pelirroja's Fanfiction site.


**_Authors Note:_** **WINNER of the Summer Lovin' contest on Pelirroja's FanFiction site.** A special thanks to our beta Storms who hung in there and braved the elements while we battened down the hatches. 'Makes Me Wonder' by Maroon5 has been a great inspiration to us for this story, and so has Pompeii's adorable Daughter. Links can as usual be found in our profile. 

**_Disclaimer:_** The life of Stephenie Meyer is a grand wonderful thing. She owns all that is the Twilight Universe. It must suck for her to be constantly copied through FanFiction, and for that reason we have decided to never write another Fanfic again.

NOT...but we totally had you going there for a minute.

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**Safe Harbor**

_Every summer is full of moments; moments that are carved into your memory, glorifying your childhood for the rest of your life. But of all those moments, none can compare to the summer of first love._

_---------_

"This was such a nice idea, Edward." I smiled up at him as we walked along the Port Angeles wharf, hand in hand. His soft hair was blowing gently in the wind, making me long to run my fingers through it, and his golden eyes danced with such pleasure whenever he looked at me.

The waterfront wasn't very crowded today, compared to those few days when the sun was shining. But the sailboats dotted the harbor, enjoying the good breeze with their sails reaching and billowing in the wind. I never thought I would enjoy sailing, with all the balancing that was expected on such a craft. But I had to admit, they all looked so free, I wanted to join them.

Edward followed my gaze as I admired the view, walking slowly. "Have you ever been sailing?" he asked, catching the object which held my attention.

I laughed. "That would be a no. Me on solid ground is bad enough, we don't need to add a floor that rocks and moves with the ocean waves."

"I wouldn't let anything happen to you, Bella," he said matter-of-factly. "I am an excellent yachtsman!" The pride in his voice made me laugh.

"Yachtsman? Edward, why doesn't that surprise me?" I squeezed his hand with affection and led him further down the pier. "Do you mind if we sit and watch them for a while?"

Edward looked up and studied the horizon for a moment before replying. "Alright, I think we have a little time." We walked slowly to an old park bench made of weathered wood and iron scroll that faced the ocean, and sat down close together, his right arm behind me draped across the back of the bench.

I watched a fleet of sailboats come one by one to port. The ocean tide had become rougher in the last few moments, small white tips of foam crested with each wave. And then, where the ocean touches the sky, the ominous clouds of a storm blowing in from the west appeared. Even from this distance, you could see the churning clouds reaching from one end of the horizon to the other.

"Have you ever been out on the ocean in weather like this?" I turned, facing him as I voiced my thoughts.

"No," he said, earnestly. "There's never been any need to. Why do you ask?"

"For no particular reason," I answered, turning back toward the sea where the sailors now were trying to get safely to harbor before the sky erupted in cracks of thunder and lightning. As the wind shifted the smell of rain filled the air. The scent was invigorating, refreshing and exciting. "I've just always liked thunderstorms and was trying to imagine what it would feel like, being on a boat during one." I took a slow deep breath, enjoying the feeling of the electrified air filling my body. As I looked out at the last few boats as they made their way to port, I wondered if they felt the same rush of building pleasure that I did.

In an astonished voice he asked, "You like thunderstorms?"

"Yes," I answered, smiling up at him as he scrutinized my face. "Why are you so surprised?"

"I just never thought…you said you hate the rain." He trailed off, looking extremely confused. "What is it that you like about them?"

I thought for a moment, and then replied. "The wild force of nature as it crashes through the air. The lightning flashing across the sky, electrifying everything as far as the eye can see. The _power_ of it is so…" I stopped, hesitant to voice my exact feelings on the subject. Instead I looked down, expecting a blush to tinge my cheeks, but was relieved when it didn't.

"What, Bella?" Edward asked prompting me to continue while his fingers trailed slowly up my arm, and over my shoulder, nearing my neck… "The power is what?"

"…sensual," I breathed, feeling my cheeks go warm for real this time as I looked at my hands, clutched together in my lap.

"Oh," he said after a long pause.

I chanced a glance at him. "Is that all you're going to say?" I asked, exasperated. "Oh?"

I could see the familiar twinkle of humor in his eyes as he responded. "I was simply adding it to my 'what makes you, you' list. We've clearly established by now that you are unlike other humans, but feeling that thunderstorms are sensual… You caught me by surprise, is all." He paused a moment before continuing, "If I had only known…"

He winked, and to my great frustration, I blushed again. His musical laughter rang through the air as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. "If you had only known … what?" I asked, resuming my admiration of the now churning sea.

"It's nothing," Edward cryptically replied as he moved his arm slightly and began running his fingers through the ends of my hair, lightly caressing my back with his cool fingers, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Cold?" he asked, placing his lips just inches from my ear so that I could feel his breath as he spoke.

"It wasn't that kind of shiver," I replied as my heart began to beat erratically inside my chest.

"Oh," he breathed. He brushed my hair off the shoulder nearest him and pressed his lips gently to my neck. "I love watching storms move in," he spoke softly between kisses.

"You aren't exactly watching the storm, Edward," I laughed, enjoying the feel of his kiss.

"Would you rather I stopped then?" he asked, even though he continued his pleasurable assault on my neck.

I sighed, closing my eyes, enjoying the sensation of his touch mixed with the growing wind coming off the ocean. "I never said that," I answered in a voice no more than a hoarse whisper.

He lightly put one finger under my chin and turned my head so I was facing him, my breath catching in my throat as I looked into his eyes, seeing the fire and passion burning inside them. As if far away, I could hear the storm hurtling in over land now, see rain clouds gathering above us.

"It's coming." He spoke barely above a whisper, just inches from my lips.

"What's coming?" I breathed out, unable to fully give my words a voice.

"Stand up, and I'll show you." He moved away, offering me his hand, and I stood facing the raging wind. He swiftly positioned himself behind me, taking each of my hands in his. Then he slowly lifted his arms so that our fingers remained intertwined and yet were stretched out on either side of our bodies.

Edward lowered his lips to my ear and whispered, "Close your eyes and feel." His last word was carried away in the wind, fading slowly into the ocean waves. I obeyed and closed my eyes, leaning my head back against his firm chest, listening to the unrest of the ocean and the howl of the wind. And then there was calm. The wind died and the roar of the ocean lulled, for what felt like an age but was only a brief moment. My heart raced with the growing anticipation.

In that moment he breathed, "It's here." And just as suddenly as it had died, a gust of ocean breath rolled across the waves, plummeting the temperature ten degrees. The atmosphere was alive with excitement; I could feel its energy piercing my very core. The churning clouds above us seemed to groan with hunger, as the sky grew dark and dangerous, and the chilled air wrapped itself around us as we stood on the edge of Mother Nature's fury. My hair freely danced in the wind and I became intoxicated by the storm's power. I had never felt anything like it before, and goose bumps spread across my entire body. Edward released my arms, gently taking my waist and turning me to face him.

His focus strayed from my eyes to my lips, and I could feel them pulse with fire under his gaze. He leaned in closer, the magnetic pull between us growing impossible to resist. And as I felt the first drops of rain glide gently down my face, our lips met, our hearts burned, and our souls touched, igniting the veil that separates the heavens from earth and erupting the sky and all that it touches in a glorious flash of light.


End file.
